Born Patricia Mae Andrzejewski in New York, she had a humble childhood in which she explored her musical talents as often as she could. However, her parents restricted her interests and activities to the extent that she only delved into classical and theatrical music in high school. After deciding not to pursue a musical degree at Julliard, she married Dennis Benatar and settled into an ordinary life working at a bank.

By the time she was 20, however, she had decided to focus on singing, albeit in a different style than she had embraced as a child. She began to explore rock and roll, slowly building up a fan base through frequent performances at a local club. By the late 1970s, she was beginning to attract national attention; 1979 found her releasing her debut album, "In the Heat of the Night." During this period, Pat and Dennis divorced. In 1982, she married Neil Giraldo, the lead guitarist in her band, and they had two daughters together.

Over the next several years, Benatar, notable for her angst-ridden delivery and powerhouse vocals, received critical accolades and maintained a consistent presence in the Top 40. "Crimes of Passion," her second album, contained "Hit Me With Your Best Shot," which is considered by many to be her signature song. In fact, it became so popular that she eventually grew weary of it. Nonetheless, that single helped catapult her to fame, selling more than a million copies.

Other Benatar songs that have enjoyed enduring popularity include "Love Is a Battlefield," "We Belong" and "Heartbreaker". She recorded all three of these songs during the early 1980s, and they have become iconic representations of the era. For instance, in the movie "13 Going on 30," in which a 13-year-old from the '80s is transported to her 30-year-old self in the early 2000s, the protagonist uses "Love Is a Battlefield," one of her favorite songs as a young teenager, to come to grips with the new reality facing her. It becomes a bridge of sorts between the two decades.

Benatar has released more than a dozen albums, including greatest hits compilations; her last album to contain new material is 2003's "Go," which includes a bonus track of a charity single that she recorded after 9/11. Nineteen of her singles have reached the Top 40, and several of her albums have achieved Gold and Platinum status. She is also the recipient of four Grammy Awards.